I guess I could count my lucky stars that I got a chance to join some other food reviewers to attend a food tasting at BeerBQ Bistro located at Precinct 10, Penang. Its located at the same row as SOHO and Nueve and right at the corner, giving it ample seating area outside the bistro as well.
As I entered the bistro, the lighting is soft from the glows of the chandelier and there was a few tables that were already busy digging into their food and beer of course! Good sign. They have both a ground floor and also an upper sitting area which is ideal for those with a group or large family as it is very cosy and private, just nice for a small gathering or function. For beer lovers, they definitely have a good selection of premium beers from stouts to lager to ale! I'm no beer expert but the owner really knows her hops and barley. So what makes this place different than your typical diner joint that serves beer? I'm sure I lost count how many places actually have similar menus so this is what I feel make them a little bit unique.
As you flip their menu, you will see that they try to pair their food with different beers! Yes, I'm sure you have heard of wine pairing so now in Penang, you have beer pairing! Its not an easy thing to achieve I must say as you really need to understand the many subtle tastes of the different beers with the way the food is cooked. So as I go along in this blog entry, I will be also telling you how it goes with the different beers. As always comments are very welcomed!
The exterior of BeerBQ
The ground floor with the bar at the back. Cosy environment that suits many
A view from the first floor
This is the more private upper floor. There is a sofa too at the back
The nice selection of beer and liquor at the bar
This is for those that prefers something without alcohol. Its their fruit mix with orange and pineapple juice. Well, nothing too special about a fruit juice mix I guess
To start of with appetizers, we have Smoked Salmon Salad at RM19.90. Here you get 4 rolls of smoked salmon arranged like roses with stalks of celery to be used as skewers. Not sure about the rest but I do like fresh celery and I find that the taste goes pretty well with the salmon. Its serve with salad on the sides and its garnished with their very own salad dressing which carries a very fruitful floral flavor which I can say everyone likes! Pretty good to start the meal.
After the salmon, here comes the first item that gets paired. I guess everyone loves roast pork with beer and its no surprise that BeerBQ makes their own roast pork to be paired with Stella Artois beer! The roast pork RM16.90 has a very crispy skin and they also serve it with their own chilli dip. The pork was not overly salty or over powering, but probably due to us taking such a long time photographing, the meat was slightly dry. The beer was light without much bitterness and I guess that makes it go well the roast pork. My only other thought would be if the roast pork was not cut into such small pieces as the small pieces doesn't give the bite and flavor as a thicker cut would.
They also have a pork burger which seems to be one of their specials. A big size chunk of minced pork with some herbs grilled to perfection. I guess because the burger patty is thick thats why it is still able to retain alot of the juiciness. Its topped with cheese and some BBQ sauce. The sesame topped bun was good as well. As can be seen, there is onions, tomatoes and also lettuce leaf in the burger. Now I wish it has some crispy bacon as well and that would make it ultimate! The fries were pretty good as well and surely beats McD's for a full flavor. For RM21.90, this is a good choice.
Here comes a heavy set. This is the BeerBQ Pork Ribs which is pork ribs RM38.90. Its a hefty chunk of pork ribs with at least 4 ribs in place. Its meaty as it is the upper part of the ribs. The ribs are marinated with their secret beer of choice and of course thats the same with the BeerBQ sauce. The ribs were very juicy and tender and falling off the bone which is a good sign for ribs. The sauce also went well and I guess my only complaint was that there wasn't enough sauce. It would have been great if the sauce covered the whole rib but my preference would be if they can serve extra sauce in a small cup. This way you can choose how much sauce you have with the ribs and add as you like. Oh yeah, its served with potato wedges and also salad on the side. The wedges were very good and I was surprised by the very crispy skin which I just adore. The ribs are paired with the Dunkel which is a heavier beer but I guess it goes together with the BeerBQ sauce too! I like this pairing.
Fish & Chips RM21.90 is next. Its made with their special beer batter and it did look pretty presentable. Sadly good ol dory fish was used and because this fish is inherently softer, it did not give the fish & chips justice. It would have been way better had it been like white fish or tilapia fillet instead. Of course, the owner took our feedback very well and I'm sure this fish & chip will be improving very very soon! The dish was paired with Hoegarden which I'm sure many a beer lover would agree goes with this kind of food.
Spaghetti Vongole RM18.90 is the only pasta dish we ordered or tried that night as there was already such a huge menu to sample. Vongole basically means clams and its nice that they did use good size clams and quite a generous portion too. The mixture of olive oil, garlic and some paprika make for a good combination. Probably just to pump it up a notch would be to infuse a little more parsley and chilli flakes into it. But the spaghetti was spot on with a nice al dente bite to it.
BeerBQ Seafood Platter RM40.90 I guess is one of those which I think has one of the best tasting sauce that goes with the dishes. Now as a seafood platter, there is some mussels, scallops, prawns and squid in it. The base is a large dollop of mash potato and all this is then covered by the BeerBQ sauce. As mentioned, I feel the sauce is great and probably would have been better had they used some salmon in here. In terms of presentation, I guess this is not the best looking one but flavor wise, its pretty good. This is paired with lowenbrau beer which is also slightly lighter and works pretty well.
We were also introduced to what is suppose to be the only place in Penang that serves beer cocktail. Yes, I was surprised too but its a good thing to try. There is 2 cocktails which is the Blue Ocean which has lager, blue curacao and lemon slice. This has a hint of liquor from the curacao and its surely interesting with the sparkling blue color. The next is the Chilli Beer which contains cili padi (Thai chilli), pepper, lager and tobasco sauce. The flavor of the spiciness first hits your nose and after you gulp down the beer, it then hits your throat! Very interesting experience and those that like it hot and spicy would love this!
And finally dessert was their Stout chocolate cake RM12.90. This was one very moist chocolate cake and it was served warm with melted chocolate down the sides! It was a great way to end the dinner and this cake alone is surely worth mentioning. Hardly do you get such a wonderful cake and its not overly pricey as the portion served is good for 2 person to share! Do not miss this house specialty
Overall it is a good experience at BeerBQ and its great that they are continuously looking to improve on their food. I'm sorry as I do not have pricing for the drinks as it just slipped my mind to note those down but it will not be off market price for similar beers. For those who check them out, do let me know what you think about them as well ya!
BeerBQ Bistro
10-B-06, Precinct 10, Jalan Tanjung Tokong, 10470, Penang
04-8905157
Open daily except Thursday for lunch at 12pm-3pm and dinner from 6pm-11pm/12am
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